'Completely ugly watch': Luke Combs takes to X after blowout Carolina loss

NEW ORLEANS — Two-time Nation Music Entertainer of the 12 months Luke Combs felt the identical approach many different Carolina Panthers followers did after Sunday’s 47-10 season-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome.

The Huntersville, North Carolina, native wasn’t shy about his ideas, writing on X shortly after Carolina suffered its worst opening-day loss in crew historical past.

New 12 months, usual @Panthers. Completely ugly watch.

— Luke Combs 🎤 (@lukecombs) September 8, 2024

It nearly appears like the beginning of a rustic track.

Combs, who grew up a Panthers fan dwelling about 20 minutes from Financial institution of America Stadium and infrequently wears the crew colours whereas performing, being pissed off should not come as a shock. He voiced his ache on social media earlier this 12 months with the message of “WHAT ARE WE DOING?!?!?” after the team traded Professional Bowl edge rusher Brian Burns to the New York Giants for a 2024 second- and 2025 fifth-round decide and 2024 decide swap.

.@Panthers WHAT ARE WE DOING?!?!? No first spherical decide for McCaffrey a number of years again and now none for Burns?!?! Are we simply fireplace bombing the entire crew right here or what? I often do not touch upon these sorts of issues but it surely’s simply turning into gradual torture at this level.

— Luke Combs 🎤 (@lukecombs) March 12, 2024

Carolina’s lack of cross rush towards the Saints — and its means to make Derek Carr appear like future Corridor of Famer Drew Brees with three landing passes and a 142.5 passer ranking — fueled the negativity.

And the general sense of hopelessness in Combs’ message Sunday was comprehensible.

The Panthers have been down 10-0 lower than six minutes into the sport after giving up a 59-yard landing cross to a quarterback who hadn’t had one which lengthy since 2021. A Bryce Young interception on his first play adopted to arrange a Saints discipline objective.

It was 17-0 after one quarter and 30-0 till Carolina kicker Eddy Pineiro made a 43-yard discipline objective on the final play of the primary half.

When all was stated and achieved, Carolina’s 37-point loss topped the 28-point embarrassment to the Philadelphia Eagles to begin the 2009 season and was the fourth-worst defeat, interval, in franchise historical past.

New coach Dave Canales did not provide a timetable for a fast turnaround. When requested what he would say to Carolina followers feeling pissed off after six straight shedding seasons and such a foul exhibiting within the opener, he started with: “It is a lengthy journey.”

“It is a lengthy journey to develop into us,” Canales stated. “I knew that whether or not we began 4-0 or 0-4, no matter that’s. What I knew is that is going to take a very long time for us to develop into us. I simply can’t assist however imagine it’s important to have adversity to develop into who you are going to be.”

Large receiver Adam Thielen seemingly agreed with Combs that the place have been no positives from the day.

“It is a detrimental factor,” he stated. “However on the finish of the day it is actuality. It may be a optimistic factor if you happen to flip it into one, however it’s important to take it on the chin, you have to be powerful mentally and you have to present up with a way of urgency.

“We bought our butt whooped. So let’s work out a approach.”

That seemingly is what Combs hoped for Sunday, resulting in his message of disappointment on X.